Sorry again for the delay in this, rough week. I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's a bit on the long side compared to the last few I think. I may have gotten a bit carried away with describing it all.

It was a testament to the beauty of the scene in front of them that the eight of them just stood there for several minutes, soaking in that peaceful quiet broken only by the cry of a bird circling overhead. When the silence was finally interrupted it was Daryl himself who cleared his throat and grunted faintly, "Lake's a good water supply, probably has fish too. Nice open space around the cabins…"

A few feet away, Tyreese turned slowly in place with a slow nod as he surveyed the open area. "Plenty of room to build a wall, even some protections beyond that, ditches and traps…"

"And if we built the wall right we'd have room to expand," Rick remarked as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Build more eventually, maybe."

The others might have still been surveying the area, but Daryl's gaze had drifted back to Beth. He'd already taken in what he could of the surroundings from here; what he wanted to see now was how Beth responded to it. He wanted to watch the way she drank it all in, the way she studied it, the way a small smile now played about her lips as she glanced up at him and then added not just for his benefit but the whole group, "The original hunters and gatherers that settled and made the first farming communities made their homes by rivers, you know. The land was nice and fertile and they learned how to grow their own crops." She glanced up to see the others looking at her. "What?" She giggled, bright and bubbly. "Hey I liked history class, and it wasn't that long ago for me, comparatively."

Daryl's chuckle rumbled through his chest at her teasing remarks. He knew she was a lot closer to school age than any of them were, except Carl of course. He might not have ever been much for school himself, but he never minded hearing things like that from her. The truth was he almost wanted to ask more, but from the corner of his eye he caught sight of Rick's head turning as his gaze drifted down towards the lake. "It'd be good, growing crops here. We always had trouble at the prison with the stream outside the fences. We could even maybe develop an irrigation system, eventually…"

Earlier, coming out of the woods to this sight stretched out before them, Daryl had felt a sense of hope welling up within him. It was sensation he had become more and more familiar with these days, thanks almost entirely to the woman at his side whose hand he had reached out to take, knowing she must have felt it too. But that feeling of hope wasn't just bubbling up inside of them anymore, he could hear it in the voices of all the others as they looked across the swaying grass to the six little cabins in the distance and the sparkling lake beyond them.

Maybe it was more than just hope. Maybe, worn down as they were, it was need, too. A need to find a place that worked, a place that settled. A need to be able to have lives that were about more than just constantly running, constantly trying to stay one step ahead of death.

Then from behind him came Carol's voice, at odds with the others' tones, her own voice lower and drier as she remarked, "It's probably too good to be true. I mean, it's named Haven after all…"

He could feel his own annoyance simmering within him. He was aware of what Carol was going through, aware of the darker pall that hung over her, and that was really what kept him from growling at her or saying anything too rash. That, and Beth's hand squeezing his reassuringly, just moments before someone else gave their disagreement instead.

"That doesn't mean anything." Given his conversation with Beth last night, maybe it wasn't such a surprise that it was Carl who spoke up first. Daryl glanced over at the kid where he stood beside Beth, his brows knitted together beneath the brim of his hat as his fingers curled tightly around the strap of the small compound bow he had slung over his back as he went on, "Maybe it's a good thing. Terminus was a bad sounding name and it ended up being a bad place so… so maybe… maybe this will be a good place!"

The tension was rising in his voice with each word and Daryl knew he wasn't the only one who could see it. Rick's worry for his son was etched across his face and he could see Michonne shifting behind them both. But before anyone else could move, Beth reached out simply to run her hand lightly over Carl's back, and her voice was as calm and soft as always as she murmured in agreement, "Maybe it's just what they name these places, I mean the first group of cabins was Wolf Creek Sanctuary, wasn't it? And the last one was Cliffside Retreats?" She paused a moment to look down at Carl, holding his eyes as she gave him a soft smile and added, "Or maybe it is a sign."

The corner of Daryl's mouth turned briefly up as, out of view of the others, his hand gently squeezed Beth's where he still held it at his side. That was his girl; standing up for someone she cared about while knowing what needed to be said in just the right tone, too.

For a moment Carol looked like she might want to retort, but before she could Rick cut in. "No way of knowing until we get a better look at this place." He had a point, after all, and after a second Carol exhaled in a sigh and just nodded in agreement instead.

As if on cue they all reached for their weapons. The beauty of this place hadn't diminished their instincts after all and by now, clearing any location was second nature. Both Beth, Daryl, and Carl had their bows drawn and raised, flanking Rick as he took the lead with his machete drawn, the others forming a loose grouping behind them. Weapons drawn they moved together, closing the distance between the woods and the line of cabins.

Though he'd had to release Beth's hand, Daryl stayed close to her side as they strode carefully and slowly through the grass. He caught a questioning glance from Rick and after a look around, nodded at the left-most cabin in suggestion. They could start with one and work their way down the line. Splitting up might have made sense but it might have put them at risk more, too. He knew they'd all feel safer sticking together and going through each cabin one by one.

Rounded the side of the first cabin after a peek in the back windows, they got their first good look at the fronts of the row of cabins. They'd all been built in a similar style, though from what Daryl could tell they weren't pre-fabricated. No, they had that slightly rough around the edges look, natural simplicity that you never found in the pre-fab cabins. He ran his hand across the wood of the cabin's exterior and hummed to himself. "Log cabins. Built 'em by hand, I reckon," he murmured lowly to Beth, though the others likely could hear him too. "Nice and sturdy."

Beth paused beside him, brushing her own hand over the ridges of the wall, following the bumps of each carefully stacked log. "Will it get cold, in the window? You know… gaps in the logs and all?"

Shaking his head after a short pause, Daryl replied, "Nah. Don't reckon, anyway. Have to get a better look inside but if they're well made, they'll have sealed it up nice and tight. Besides, you saw the brick chimneys on each one, right? Keep the place nice and warm in winter."

All six cabins were lifted off the ground on foundations and they all had porches; two had one in the front, three had them to either side, and the fourth cabin had one that wrapped nearly all the way around. Each porch had several steps leading up to it from the grass, and as they reached the one for the first cabin, Rick stopped back with a nod at Daryl and Beth to take the lead. With Beth in front of him, Daryl made his way up the sturdy wooden steps beneath the arched overhang that jutted out above them, supported by a view wooden beams that extended out from the small cabin.

Beside him, Beth moved over to the double window, shading her hand on the glass to peer inside for a moment before she shook her head and mouthed at him, "Curtains."

Going in blind was never the best option, but it wasn't like they were unused to it, and it didn't stop them from following their patterns like a well-oiled machine, Beth knocking on the door and drawing back as she pulled it open, darting away as Daryl sighted his bow. This time, nothing came to meet them and with a silent nod to Beth they were soon leading the group into the small cabin.

In some ways it was familiar to the cabins he had seen again and again in his travels through Georgia with his brother and yet there were many differences. These weren't hunting cabins; lived in for a small amount of time, containing only the bare necessities or designed with only a single resident in mind. There were no rough unstained walls, no sooty cast iron stoves or packed dirt floors. These were homes. Vacation homes, perhaps, but still homes.

The first thing he noticed about the home they entered was that it was snug; what Beth would probably call 'cozy', though Daryl had never been anywhere that might really be called cozy before. The room they stood in was large and open; on his first skim of it Daryl spotted a couch and chairs in one corner, as well as a table and dining chairs in another. The kitchen area was situated in the far right corner, with stools set against the row of counters that came out from the wall.

Of course the walls and floors were all wood, though he noticed a couple of rugs placed here and there on the floor and curtains on the few small windows as well. Even with curtains on most of the windows the room was lit by the sun streaming in front the outside, warming the snug little room. Dust was everywhere; it covered the small sofa, hazed the shine of the kitchen table, and swirled slowly in the beams of light that shone through the window.

"Bedroom over here," came Michonne's low voice from off to his left. "Seems clear."

"Second one, too." With Tyreese chiming in that the second bedroom was clear as well, they didn't linger too much longer, even though there was a hesitancy in all their steps as if some part of them sort of wanted to. As if they wanted to take more time, exploring this cozy little home, sitting here like some remnant of a time they'd almost just forgotten.

But they knew rationally that they couldn't, which was why eventually Daryl grunted and lead the way out the front door, leaving behind the sunshine-warmed cabin in favor of the fresh lake air outside. They worked their way through the row of cabins in similar fashion, with almost no surprises. All the homes seemed to be about the same size; each with a large open living room and kitchen, and usually two bedrooms. The fourth cabin had been the only one so far that was two stories, with one bedroom on the first floor, a small room that could have been a second bedroom or some kind of study, and a small staircase leading up to a larger bedroom with it's own bathroom.

In the fifth cabin they'd found a dead body; not a walker, but a human who seemed to have ended their own life. These days, that was almost as familiar a sight as a walker would have been. Though it caused far less of a commotion than the two walkers penned up inside the third house, their groans echoing through the small space and across the wooden walls until they'd found them inside the bedroom.

Michonne had very nearly taken them out, her hand raised with her blade ready, but Daryl had stopped her with a shake of his head.

"Don't wanna make a mess," he grunted, giving her just enough time to chuckle at the incongruity of that line from him of all people before he moved in, knocking the walker down with a kick to it's shin and sliding his blade right down into his skull.

To his surprise, it had been Carl who had stepped up to take the other one down. In his own fight he'd missed the little nod Beth had given to the kid, but he didn't miss the proud smile on her face (or Rick's) when Carl took the walker down and glanced between them, seeking approval even as he stood up a little straighter and puffed out his chest.

"Let's drag these out the front," Daryl said gruffly after a moment, "We can burn 'em in a bit."

"Careful dragging them," Michonne teased as she leaned over to grab one of their legs. "Don't wanna make a mess on these nice hardwood floors, right Dixon?"

"Shut up," he grunted, but though he rolled his eyes there was a hint of a smirk on his lips as he reached for the walker's other leg and helped Michonne to drag it out the door.

It only took a couple minutes to get the two walkers piled up outside, a safe distance from the back of the houses. Leaving them there for the moment, the group walked back through the space between the fourth and fifth houses to the slope that led down to the water.

It was only then that Daryl really looked at the sixth and final house. He had been so focused on going row by row that he hadn't really taken in each house individually until they'd gotten it and now, there was only one left. He noticed now that this house was set a little bit away from the others, and it appeared a lot smaller; perhaps half the size. It was mostly square, with a small porch in front, and it looked to either have a second floor or very high ceilings, judging by the double window right under the high arch of the roof at the front.

If the others had been cozy, this one looked like it was probably truly snug, and he was surprised to discover he found the thought appealing. Maybe he wasn't the only one, judging by the curiosity in Beth's eyes when he nodded to her and they took the lead, moving side by side with the others behind them, up across the sand and up to the little cabin.

When they stepped onto the porch and reached the door Daryl paused, but not because he heard anything. No. He paused because of Beth, and the sight of her turning to look at the little pair of rocking chairs that sat to the left, right in front of the window. There was a big flower pot beside it, overgrown now with what had perhaps once been some sort of flowering vine or bush, but was now a tangle of weeds. Still, it wasn't too hard to see how it had once been, wasn't too hard to imagine two people sitting side-by-side, maybe with something to drink in their hands and the scent of flowers blooming in the air around them.

(If that image in his mind looked a little like him and Beth, then he just disregarded it. Daryl had never been a sit-on-the-porch with a glass of something sweet sort of guy. He was the sprawled on the steps with a smoke kinda guy, or the come-home-drunk and pass out on the porch swing kinda guy. He had never been the kinda guy that had any picturesque fucking memories, and yet, looking at those rocking chairs…)

After a moment he shook his head and cleared his throat to get Beth's attention, and once her focus was where it needed to be, they fell easily into their established routine.

"Still no welcoming committee," Beth murmured, flashing him a little smile when nothing came to the door. Letting her arm brush against his, she slipped past him and into the quiet room beyond. His chuckle rumbled through his chest, but when he joined her just inside the door he fell silent almost immediately.

He had been right about the size of the place. It was smaller than all the other cabins they'd cleared prior. Just one large open room, enough space for a small little kitchenette and a living area, with a little square table and two chairs tucked into one corner. Unlike the others, this didn't have a fireplace but a good sized wood-burning iron stove, with glass in it's double doors and a sturdy pipe leading up the wall and out. Light shone through the windows even more in this cabin; the curtains had been left open or drawn back by whoever had lived here prior. The sunlight painted a golden glow on the wooden walls and floors even as it warmed the air around them.

Daryl's gaze moved slowly over the scene, taking it in. Here and there frames hung the wall, some of them with what looked like small watercolor paintings, one or two with photographs of what he thought might be a couple. There was a round, hand-braided rug in shades of green and yellow, brightening the floor in the little kitchenette, matching the pale green curtains that hung on the windows, dotted with little yellow flowers. In the far left was a wooden staircase, built into the wall and leading up to a small loft that extended barely halfway into the space. From down here he could just glimpse what looked like a good-sized bed, covered in a thick white and blue patterned quilt. He had no doubt there was very little else up there; not much more would fit.

It was small, and snug, and cozy. It had nothing it didn't need, but it wasn't completely spartan, either; far from it. It was simple and homey, and he was surprised to realize that he kind of, well… liked it.

Daryl was far less surprised to realize that Beth liked it. There was a glow on her face, a faint smile that lit up her eyes as she looked around, and it just seemed right. A place like this, cozy and warm and comfy, even with all the dust… this was her sort of place. The sort of place she fit right in. He could see her curled up by the stove as the flames flickered behind the glass, or leaning against the loft railing, or peering out one of the curtained windows to the lake beyond… in fact he could see her so clearly that it took an unexpected amount of control to peel himself away from those images and lead her back to the group outside to give the all clear.

Because right, they had a purpose here. They were meant to be determining whether this place might make a suitable home, not staring around a snug little cabin and getting lost in daydreams about Beth Greene.

(Who he blamed thoroughly, considering he'd never really daydreamed before her. Not since he was a kid, anyway, and those kinda day dreams didn't last long, set against the harsh reality of the world he'd grown up in.)

Rick gathered them around in a small circle in front of the cabins, his hand resting on the handle of his machete where it was now securely in the sheath that hung from his belt. He didn't even have to ask the question they knew needed answered: So what do you think? The question was in his eyes- was in all their eyes as they looked around at each other consideringly and thoughtfully.

"It's more defensible than any of the others we saw today," Beth began after a moment, "The water means we only have to keep watch on three sides instead of four, and there's good space between the cabins and the woods, so nothing can sneaks up on us." He felt a momentary flush of pride in her; not just at her observations but how confident she was in making them. There had been a time after she'd reunited with the group when every time she made a suggestion like that to anyone that wasn't him she had been hesitant or shy, sure that she would be shot down. Her confidence had burgeoned with each passing day.

With a nod, Daryl continued her train of thought, "Plenty of room for a wall once we get supplies to build it. We can keep an eye on everything before that, too though. Put someone on top of the cabins for a good line of side, set up other defenses."

"Having a water supply close by is good too," Tyreese remarked, his thumb hooked into the pocket of his jeans as he turned to survey the water that lapped at the nearby shore. The lake was pretty good sized, stretching out to one shore in the distance where he could see the roofs of a few homes, and curving around as well to the right and left. In time Daryl figured they would explore it all, but for now the focus was on what was right in front of them as Tyreese added, "Should have fish too, right?"

"Round here?" Daryl nodded slowly. He'd gone fishing at a hundred places up and down the mountains and forests of Georgia, it wasn't too hard to imagine what might be found in a lake like this. "Bit high up, but there'll still be fish. Bass, probably bluegill an' shellcrackers, too. Maybe some bream, we'd have to see."

"And there's plenty of space to start a garden." Everyone turned in surprise at Michonne being the one to raise that point, but she just smirked at them all as she adjusted the strap of her katana. "What? Maybe I just wanna see Rick here turnin' farmer on us again."

They all chuckled, Carl making a face and sticking his tongue out. Daryl knew the boy had never liked his Dad being a farmer back at the prison, but a lot had changed since then. For all of them, including Carl. So maybe it wasn't so surprising that when silence fell he was the first to softly admit, "I think we should stay."

Rick's gaze strayed to his son, but Daryl's went right to Beth's. For the moment at least, the opinions of everyone around them were irrelevant; hers was the opinion that mattered most to him and always would. They would decide what they wanted, and then see how that worked into the rest of the group.

Her eyes met his in silence, because they didn't need to speak. Daryl simply lifted a questioning eyebrow, and Beth's reply was a soft smile and a slow nod. She didn't need to reply out loud, not when he could see her desire to stay here shining in her eyes, right along with her hope that this place could prove to be as good as they'd imagined.

Daryl wondered if she could see a glint of the same hope in his own eyes; he might have been far less experienced when it came to that emotion, but he could feel the spark of it even now as he hummed and nodded in return.

Only then did he turn back to the group and murmur, "Us to. We're in, for stayin' here." At his side Beth reached up and curling her fingers lightly around his arm, the gentle squeeze just another confirmation that they were together in this… the way they seemed to be in all things, these days.

They were partners, after all.

Of cours, they weren't the only partners in the group. Daryl watched as Tyreese and Sasha softly communicated with each other, coming to a decision together before Sasha, with one last quick glance at her brother, said to Rick, "Us too. This place is better than pretty much anywhere we've found since the prison. We should stay."

If Rick hesitated, Daryl didn't think it was for his own part. He saw the way Rick's gaze trailed to Michonne's, and if Beth's little squeeze to his arm was any indication, he wasn't the only one who noticed their little silent communication. But rather than speak after whatever had passed between him and Michonne, Rick's gaze turned slowly instead to the one hold-out of their group.

Carol.

She had been almost entirely quiet this whole time as they'd cleared each of the cabins. Now, under the weight of their gazes, Daryl could see the shifting emotions within her familiar gaze. For a moment he held her eyes with his own. He couldn't communicate with her silently as well as he could with Beth, couldn't have whole conversations in the tilt of a head or the furrow of a brow, but he still knew her and she knew him. She could read the look in his eyes at least on some level, could see the encouragement, the desire for her to try, at least one more time.

He wished he could be sure just what he was reading in her eyes; if the doubt was outweighing the tiny possibility of hope. Daryl might not have been to read her like an open book, but he didn't fail to notice the way she turned to Tyreese when she pulled her gaze from his. There was a measuring look between them, an exchange of words in silent subtle gestures; the communication of people who had gotten used to speaking in silence as so many of them had, especially with their time on their own after the prison.

Daryl couldn't be sure what passed between Tyreese and Carol any better than he could know what was going on in her mind. But when she finally glanced back at Rick and fixed her gaze on him, there was only a moment of pause before she shrugged one shoulder and said simply, "Okay. Let's try."

An hour later and the entirety of the group was assembled behinds the houses, standing in the fields with the RV and trailer between them and the trees. After he'd wheeled his bike off the trailer where it had been stored on the drive, he'd drifted back to where the group had loosely gathered together, all milling around Rick, who had just finished explaining their decision to stay here.

"So I think our first steps for tonight anyway will be to set up a perimeter, put people on watch, and then settle into the cabins…" Rick said with a little nod, "-which requires living arrangements, of course."

"Perimeter shouldn't be too hard," Daryl remarked as he came up beside Beth, feeling the warmth of her shoulder brushing lightly against his, "We park the RV, the car, and the trailer spaced out in between the houses and the woods. String up our alarms between them, just in case. Put someone on watch on top of the RV and the trailer, should be good."

"Alright," Rick drawled, "Then we should figure out who is staying where for tonight, and tomorrow we can start planning what we're gonna do with this place. Beth?" At Daryl's side, Beth looked up with an arch of her brow. "You got that journal on you?"

Her response was a simple nod, but as Beth pulled the pink spiral notebook from her little backpack, her eyes sought out Daryl's and there was a smile on her lips that was just for him. He knew why, of course. Knew she was remembering the day he'd given her that notebook, filched from a store on a run and hidden away until later, in private. The purple pen was still neatly slotted in the ring of the spiral binding, but the pages were a bit more worn now and he knew that they were no longer blank either. He'd seen her writing in it before at night, scribbling down her thoughts and lyrics, doodling little hearts in the margins.

(Sometimes she doodled his name, scribbling it in little loops and whirls as she leaned her back against his chest. He'd watch over her shoulder, his hair brushing her cheek as he chuckled low in his chest. He teased her but the truth was he liked it. No one had ever scribbled his name in their notebook before, never surrounded it in hearts and stars… he had never been the sort of guy a girl wanted, let alone loved. Not before Beth, anyway.)

Now with the others looking on, she flipped open the notebook, passing by pages covered in scribbled purple writing until she found a blank one.

"Okay," Rick remarked as she set her pen to the page, "Six houses, right? The first three had two bedrooms each, the fourth sort of had two and a half-"

"A half?" Beth smiled, and Daryl watched her scribble it down in her loopy handwriting.
"Well, hard to tell if it was a bedroom or a closet, really." Rick chuckled and rocked back onto his heels for a moment before his gaze drifted back to the cabins and he added, "And five and six had only one bedroom. Sound about right?" When everyone nodded in agreement, and Beth scribbled down the last bits decisively, Rick drew in a measured breath and then said, "Alright. So let's start with figuring out who wants to live with who."

Instantly the group broke off in murmurs, people glancing around speculatively before moving to find the people they had in mind. Daryl didn't have to move at all, though. There was only one person here he wanted to share his space with, and she was standing right beside him. Judging by the little smile on her lips as she looked up at him she knew it, too, because it was the same for her.

There had been a time when Beth at least had been able to share her space with just about anyone. He had plenty of memories of her curled up asleep in the huddled mass of their family group, those harsh days on the run between the farm and the prison. He'd seen her sleep tucked against Lori to keep her warm, or next to her sister when Maggie wasn't all wrapped up in Glenn. He'd seen her in the prison, too, curled up with Judy resting on her chest, little face tucked into the crook of Beth's neck as they both napped.

It was different now. Like him she had her issues with people being in her space, wanted or otherwise. Except with him, of course. Despite everything they'd both been through, or perhaps because of it, they simply fit together no matter what. Being close to her was as natural to him as breathing, and he needed her just as naturally; like his lungs needed air. Perhaps it was no wonder that being around her was so damn easy, then.

Beth watched him with a smirk on her lips and then nudged him with her arm to tease, "So does that mean you wanna live with me, Dixon?" When he snorted and gave her only a pointed look in reply, she went on in a playful drawl, "You sure? You don't wanna be roomies with Carl instead, maybe? Or Eugene? I bet he'd love having you as a roommate."

"Hey…" He darted a glance over at Eugene, but thankfully the man seemed occupied in his conversation with Tara and Rosita. Not that he dislikedthe man, entirely, although he had never been a big fan, even though he'd been hesitant to believe that DC bullshit from the start. The last thing he needed was Eugene taking her seriously though; the guy had a tendency to take things literally and he didn't need to be stuck in some weird conversation involving statistics for male roommates or whatever weird bullshit that dude had in his head.

Safe for the moment he focused on Beth instead, leaning over her slightly as his hand found the small of her back. "You tryin'a get rid of me as a roommate, Greene?" His fingers crept just slightly up under the hem of her shirt until the pads of them grazed her warm skin. When the soft parting of her lips in a hint of an exhaled sigh revealed the effect his touch was having on her, he finished in a low, slightly rough voice, "Cause if you want, I can find someone else…"

Her eyes held his, the brilliant blue darkening just faintly as her pink lips remained parted, tempting him despite the crowd around them. It was all he could do to not lean in and kiss her, especially as she murmured back lowly, "Don't you even think about it, Daryl Dixon. You're all mine."

Well there was no doubt about that. Though he was still certain they'd end up sharing a house with someone here, and the thought admittedly made him groan. In his mind it wasn't so much who would be the best to share with, but who would be the least worse. Because as they waited, his gaze strayed to Maggie and Glenn, and it was all he could do not to groan. He could just imagine them being paired up in a house and lord but the last thing he wanted was to have Maggie and Glenn just a damn wall away. Especially considering how loud everyone knew the two of them could be… let alone how loud Beth might have been capable of being; a fact he didn't want anyone but him to know.

"Alright," said Rick as the conversations seemed to settle down. "Let's see what we've got. Me, Carl, and Judith will be staying together obviously, and-" He paused for one second, and though the glance he gave slightly to the woman standing at right was almost imperceptible to most, Daryl still saw it. "-Michonne will be staying with us, too." Without hesitating for more than a beat, Rick forged on, "I reckon Maggie and Glenn will wanna be together, and Beth and Daryl obviously…"

His hand, still at Beth's back, splayed out just faintly wider and he felt her lean into him for a moment. Even as she continued to scribble down the pairings in her notebook, there was a little smile lingering on the corners of her lips that he knew was just for him, just for 'Beth and Daryl obviously'. There had been a time when most people had seemed a bit baffled by the two of them and now they were an 'obviously'.

"Sasha and I would like to stay together," Tyreese spoke up, his deep voice cutting through the silence. That pairing was surprising at all, of course, Tyreese and his sister had been side by side since they'd been reunited. What was a bit surprising was when the large man cleared his throat and added carefully and deliberately, "And Carol, too."

The slight raise of Daryl's eyebrow at the woman across from him was answered only with a shrug of one shoulder as Tara spoke up from beside her, "Me and Rosita will share, and Eugene can stay with us too."

As Beth added Eugene's name in a grouping with Tara and Rosita, she murmured just for Daryl's ears only, "There goes your chance, Dixon…"

Just as he snorted softly, Noah cleared his throat and raised his hand to catch everyone's attention. Quietly, he remarked, "The four of us would like to stay together, if we can. Me, Ivy, my mother and Hank, if that's alright…"

"I'm sure it will be," Beth said with a soft smile, immediately trying to reassure her friend. Daryl knew it was hard for the four of them even more than it was for Tara and Eugene and Rosita; they'd been with the group for the least amount of time and sort of still kept to the fringes, feeling a bit out of place. Especially for Alberta, who had grown accustomed to life in Richmond, shielded from everything they faced out in the world. Daryl thought the woman was tougher than she looked though, knew she'd find a way to fit in eventually. Already had, in some ways. And maybe it would be better here, if they could make this work. Maybe they could all find a place here, somewhere to fit.

"I think that's everyone." Rick came around to Beth's other side and leaned over to look down at the list in her journal. The man's chuckle caught Daryl off guard, and he was just leaning in himself to figure out what Rick was so amused by when instead he remarked, "Actually that's perfect. This might be even easier than we thought. Three houses with two bedrooms each; Tara, Rosita, and Eugene can have one, Tyreese, Sasha, and Carol can have the second, and… Noah, Ivy, Alberta, and Hank can have the third? That leaves the house with two and a half, that'll be perfect for me, Carl, Judy, and Michonne." If anyone wondered just how those rooms would be divided, they didn't question it, especially not as Rick smoothly went on, "So that leaves the last two houses with one bedroom each. One for Maggie and Glenn, and one for Beth and Daryl. Sound about right?"

He wasn't sure what possessed him, in the middle of all the nods and agreements, to speak up, "You sure? Seems unfair, us having a place to ourselves-" He saw Beth tilt up her head and furrow her brow at him, but after a moment understand smoothed out the lines in her face and he saw that look of warmth and caring that had, in a way, infected him similarly. "-We could double up somehow, or… or maybe save one of the houses for storage, or turn it into somethin' else, like uh, a little clinic, you know?"

But Rick was already shaking his head before Daryl had even finished. "Eventually we're gonna need more space, we all know it. Hopefully we can figure out how to build things, but we'll make due. But right now we all need this, Daryl. Having our own spaces again, we need that. I know you do, too, even if you're too stubborn to admit it."

Beside him Beth ducked her head, but Daryl didn't miss the little knowing smirk on her lips and he made sure to tickle his fingers across her back to make sure she knew he knew.

"It worked out perfectly, Daryl. No need to argue with that, right?" Seeing Daryl was about to open his mouth anyway, Rick shook his head. "Now come on. You two and Maggie and Glenn figure out between you who wants Cabin Five and who wants Cabin Six, while the rest of us figure out who is going in which of the first three houses."

He still wasn't sure why he'd protested except well, maybe he was. Maybe he knew, somewhere down inside. It felt like it was too much. Too good. Hell he knew it was possible to have good things in this world, knew it even more right now with Beth standing right there beside him, but damn if this didn't feel like it was too much. Him and Beth with a whole little cabin all too themselves, wasn't that just too damn perfect?

But Rick was right, that was how it'd worked out, and even if he wanted to protest there wasn't much he could say. Everyone else seemed happy with the arrangements and no one was put out by who they were living with. Besides… it only took one look down at Beth to dissuade him from arguing. She was looking up at him with her eyes all big and shining and a smile on her lips as she turned to Maggie and Glenn and said in a breathy, hopeful voice, "If you guys are okay with it, I know exactly what cabin Daryl and I would like…"

He'd told Rick they'd take second watch and Rick and Michonne volunteered to take first, heading out to the trailer and the RV to move them like they'd decided, as everyone else drifted apart to fully inspect their new homes. Including him and Beth.

Beth's fingers were laced through his as she tugged him down past the first few cabins, crossing the worn paths that lead from each down to the shore of the lake. With a slight turn of his head he watched Ivy and Noah happily opening the door to the second cabin as Alberta and Hank chatted on the front porch. Beyond them Tyreese was guiding a slightly more reluctant looking Carol into the first cabin, as Sasha followed with an amused smile. Tara and Rosita were actually holding hands as they headed to the third cabin, Eugene walking behind them and eying their clasped hands with curiosity.

As they passed the fourth cabin he saw Carl looking far more eager than Daryl thought he'd seen the boy in a long time. He had Judy in his arms and there was a bounce to his step as he carried her into the fourth cabin; through the open door Daryl could hear him crowing as they walked by, "This is our new home, Judy? What do you think? Isn't it nice? And there's a whole little room we're gonna turn into a nursery just for you…"

And he and Beth, well. He still couldn't believe what they were heading to, though there was no denying Beth's eagerness. Her fingers curled tighter in his as she tugged him towards the end of the row and that last little cabin, set slightly apart from the rest. Even earlier when he'd seen it and imagined the both of them within it, he'd never thought it would be a reality. It still felt too good, too perfect… yet here he was, being tugged inexorably towards it by a very happy, very impatient Beth Greene.

"Come on, Daryl! You're not gonna argue again, are you? Or are you regretting not getting your preferred roommate? Cause I can go get Eugene…"

"Enough of that, woman." Daryl growled the words, but before she could protest more than a 'hey!' he was bending down and scooping her up bodily into his arms.

"Daryl!" The way he held her was as familiar now as the laugh she gave, giggles bubbling out of her as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and leaned into him. "I thought you were the one not going fast enough."

"Nah, I was just waitin' for you, girl." He climbed the low wooden steps carefully until they were on the porch, and cast the rocking chairs to the left only a brief glance before he came to stand in front of the door. "Here we go…"

But he didn't put her down. Instead he held her close, letting Beth lean down to open the door so he could step through the doorway with her in his arms.

If it was an echo of any other traditions, and if that thought occurred to either of them as they stepped over the threshold, neither of them spoke of it. Then again they didn't need to. Their sort of understanding was often quiet, spoken not in words but in the way her eyes met his and the smile that lingered on both their lips even as he gently set her down on her feet in the open space of their main living area.

There was something else in both their eyes, too, especially his. A heat born of the low simmering desire that was always present in him these days. A heat sparked by the knowledge that this place was theirs now, that it was just him and Beth, no one around watching, no one to interrupt if they closed the door and locked it behind them…

"Well I think step one is to make sure this place is secure…" Beth's firm words cut into the warm haze of his thoughts, but it only took him a moment or two to see through her solemn voice to the playfulness beyond.

He stood in the middle of the room, tracking her with his eyes. "Beth…"

"Yeah, I think we should check the doors and windows, maybe rig up some string and cans just in case…" Despite her serious tone, there was a playfulness that lingered in her blue eyes as they darted up at him before she continued her slow circuit of the room, peering at the windows and running her hand along the back of the couch.

"Beth…" Daryl took a step towards her, and then another, and though she turned to face him she kept moving backwards to keep the same distance.

"And then, of course, we'll need to check for food, see what other supplies might be hidden away…"

"Beth Greene…" There was a gruffness to his voice, softened by the smirk that played about his lips as he stalked her through the room.

"What?" A look of innocence crossed her face; she was so damn good at that sweet expression that he could almost imagine the halo sparkling over her head even as she went on, "You have something else in mind besides the appropriate measures to secure our new home, Daryl Dixon?"

"You know damn well I do, girl," he growled the words out as he closed the gap between them in just a few long, quick strides, giving her no time to protest before he was gripping her hips, lifting her up, and tossing her right over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

"Daryl!" She tried to protest, though her giggling and squirming belied her sharp tone. "Daryl Dixon you put me down right now."

"Oh I intend to," he remarked even as he strode towards the stairs in the back corner, one hand firmly cupping the curve of her ass as he moved carefully and deliberately up the steps to the loft. "Got the perfect place to put you down."

"Oh, do you?" The sudden husky quality of her voice pulled another growl from him that rumbled low in his chest as he reached the loft.

He crossed the small space in just a few steps, and though he was firm his hands were also careful with her as he lifted her off his shoulder and dropped her down onto her back on the full-sized bed that took up the majority of the space. "Yep, I do. See?"

"Oh yes," Beth murmured, eyes watching him as he climbed up over her slowly, covering her slender, small body with his much larger one. "I see very clearly now."

"Mmm," he hummed as his lips found the curve of her neck, kissing up over the soft flesh until she was sighing beneath him. "Still wanna go set up our home, Greene?"

She sighed as her hands ran up his chest, and as her lips found his ear she whispered sweetly, "Isn't that exactly what we're about to do?"

He couldn't argue with that. All he could do was continue the path of his lips across the line of his jaw to catch her lips with his own, letting the kiss linger until they were both breathless. When he pulled back just enough to look down at her though, to meet those darkening blue eyes and watch the smile curving up her kiss-swollen pink lips, he found he did have it in him to argue that point. Or at least make a correction.

"No. You're my home," he murmured as his nose brushed lightly against hers. "Whenever I'm with you, that's bein' home for me." With a soft little kiss, Daryl added, "This is just the place we're gonna make ours. That's what we're doing, Greene. Making it ours."

And this time she was the one who didn't have it in her to argue. At least he figured that was the case, judging by the way she just cupped his face, leaned up, and pressed her lips to his.

Yeah, Beth was home. But sharing this place with her, making it theirs? Maybe that wasn't so bad, either.

The next chapter may involve a slight time skip, I haven't decided yet. We'll see! But I do hope you all liked this one, if you did please leave a review, they are greatly appreciated. Thanks again for continuing to read!

Oh, also, I couldn't link any pictures in this post unfortunately, but made a post on my tumblr of of some inspirational photos for this new setting, so if you want to get a feel for Haven Cabins beyond what I've described, you can check it out by using this link here: tinyurl (.) com/mqyzs4j The tiny cabin with the boat in front of it is Beth/Daryl's. Enjoy!